This is part three of this series. We are using the account of King Josiah to look at ten things we need to return to in order to experience reformation. You can catch up with the series here:
A Return to Reverence for God’s Word
In 2 Kings 22:8-13, We find that not only has the temple been neglected by the former kings of Judah, but the Scriptures had been lost and forgotten. There are three people who had direct interaction with the book of the law, which would have consisted of the Scriptures they had at the time. They were Shaphan the scribe, Hilkiah the high priest, and Josiah the king. There is a striking difference in how these three handled the rediscovery of God’s Word.
First, you have Hilkiah the high priest. Of all the people who interacted with God’s Word in this account, you would think he would be the one to take it seriously. But he handles it very casually. There is no indication that he even read it. He simply hands it to Shaphan saying, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” Then you have Shaphan the scribe. The account says that Hilkiah hands him the book and he reads it. At least he reads it. But once he reads it, he closes it and goes back to business as usual. When he returns to Josiah and gives his report of having fulfilled his duty, he treats the Scripture as an aside. It’s just a tag on. “Oh by the way, Hilkiah gave me a book.” Then he reads it to the king.
Then, there’s Josiah. The Scripture tells us:
“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. (2 Kings 22:11)”
Josiah was moved deeply by God’s Word and he saw it for what it was. He didn’t even respond to the report that Shaphan gave him about the repairs. That didn’t matter at the moment. He took the Scriptures seriously! So much so that he sent to inquire of the Lord, “for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book… (2 Kings 22:13)” Josiah was the only one who took the words of God to heart and acted upon them. Not even the high priest took it seriously!
We find ourselves in a similar situation today. For generations, the majority of Christians in this nation have not taken God’s Word to heart. We have been satisfied with bumper stickers, cross decorations, verses printed out on canvases, pre-made Bible study curriculum, and so on. So few have actually searched the Scriptures and taken them seriously. We have Bibles all over our houses and churches, yet most Christians do not even have a basic understanding of what the Bible teaches. We need a rediscovery of God’s Word just like the people of Josiah’s time.
Don’t take for granted where the book of the law was lost. It was lost in the house of God! The American church has largely lost God’s Word. What is more indicting is that it has been lost in the churches. When the church begins diminishing the seriousness, authority, and sufficiency of God’s Word, we cannot be surprised that the culture all around us does too. We must rediscover it and decide what we are going to do with it.
What are you going to do with God’s Word? Are you going to be like Hilkiah the high priest, who doesn’t even read it? He doesn’t even attempt to. You know what it is, but you don’t pay any attention to it. Are you going to handle it like Shaphan, who reads it, but treats it just like another book? You read the Scripture, but you respond to it like it’s just a book. A religious book, maybe even an important religious book, but not God’s binding Word to you. Or are you going to handle it like King Josiah? Will you truly see it, read it, and hear it as if it is God’s holy Word? Will you handle it as if everything it says is true and serious? If we are going to see a reformation, we need to return to reverence for God’s Word.
Stay tuned for the fourth return: Personal Reformation.